Chapter 114: Board Game (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 114: Board Game (1)
The area where the eliminated students had gathered was, ironically, louder than the battlefield itself.
Not just the White Team, but the Blue Team students as well were all fixated on Jung Hae-in's movements.
The state of the battle was simple.
Either Jung Hae-in would successfully take down Yu Serin, or he would fail.
The final victory hinged on that single outcome.
“Go, Yu Serin!!”
“Go, Jung Hae-in!!”
Cheers for opposing sides erupted at the same time.
Some were thrilled by Jung Hae-in’s every move, while others clasped their hands, hoping for a counterattack from Yu Serin.
And then, the moment of victory was decided.
The results appeared on the scoreboard in the elimination zone.
[Exam Concluded!]
[Current Personnel]
[Blue Team: 77] VS [White Team: 42]
[Score Status]
[4790 Points] vs [5110 Points]
[White Team Wins!]
“Waaaaah!!”
A roar burst from the White Team’s side.
The Blue Team slumped to the ground in dismay.
It was a moment where joy and despair crossed paths.
Listening to the noise, Kang A-rin quietly looked up at the screen.
“He’s definitely… much faster, isn’t he?”
At her words, Cheon Yeo-wool, who was standing beside her, nodded.
“Yeah. It’s not even a comparison.”
It was a conversation between Kang A-rin and Cheon Yeo-wool.
She was talking about Jung Hae-in’s growth.
Comparing the him from before the regression at this point in time to the him now…
The present him was overwhelmingly superior.
In both growth and speed.
“……”
Just then, Cheon Yeo-wool’s gaze sharpened.
While the White and Blue teams chattered away, celebrating or lamenting their fate, she quietly pursed her lips, trying to read the shapes of the mouths of the figures on the screen.
She was focusing on Jung Hae-in and Yu Serin’s conversation.
The audio equipment seemed to have been damaged in the fight, making it hard to hear, but if she concentrated, she could just make it out.
“We’ve promised each other our futures.”
Cheon Yeo-wool’s eyebrow twitched upward.
Ah…
In the end, Jung Hae-in had answered Yu Serin’s question.
She roughly understood the meaning.
It wasn’t anything sexual, of course; it was obviously about him joining her team.
The problem, however, was the person standing next to her right now.
The thought of how smug Kang A-rin would get if she heard this already gave Cheon Yeo-wool a headache.
Yu Hana was already full of herself because of the trip, and now Kang A-rin too…
To make matters worse, the Jung Hae-in on the screen flopped onto the ground and then wriggled his way over to Yu Serin’s side.
Normally, Kang A-rin would have had an explosive reaction to something like this…
“……”
But she was quiet?
Cheon Yeo-wool was momentarily taken aback.
She slowly turned her head to look.
Like a teenager who had just realized she was in love, Kang A-rin had her hands on her cheeks, completely at a loss.
Her face was flushed red, and her eyes were trembling.
“What do I do…”
Kang A-rin whispered, stroking her cheeks with her palms.
Seeing this, Cheon Yeo-wool silently closed her mouth.
One could say she was stunned by this unexpected side of her, the complete opposite of her usual self.
“What are you doing…?”
Finally, unable to hold back, she asked.
*
The final exam was over.
That fact alone made it a little easier to breathe.
Exams were always like that.
Whether big or small, their presence was enough to make one uncomfortable.
After all, they meant you had to prove something.
It was a feeling of anxiety, whether you were doing well or not.
And now, that was over.
As soon as the exam ended, the administration quickly began preparing for the awards ceremony.
The hall was still in a state of disarray.
The Blue Team was filled with regret, the White Team with cheers of victory.
With the eliminated students mixed in, the air was thick with a boisterous energy.
“You worked haaard…”
Cheon Yeo-wool, from the White Team, cautiously approached.
Yoon Chae-ha followed behind her, glancing around nervously.
“You two worked hard, too. Come here.”
I gestured playfully.
At that, they both broke into bright smiles and ran toward me.
Thwack!
Thwack!
“Oof!”
“Ack.”
I gifted each of them a flick on the forehead.
Cheon Yeo-wool’s was a little harder. I had a feeling she might have built up an immunity.
“What on earth were you two thinking?”
“She’s the one who said we should go!”
Cheon Yeo-wool immediately pointed at Yoon Chae-ha.
The moment she did—
Thwack!
“Ngh…!”
Without hesitation, I flicked her forehead one more time.
I had a feeling she was lying.
And if she wasn't, oh well.
Cheon Yeo-wool bit her lip slightly and sank to the ground.
Her head was bowed low, her shoulders trembling cautiously.
After a few seconds of trembling, she quietly stood up again.
Her face was already quite red, but now her forehead was flushed to match.
And yet, the corners of her lips were turned up slightly.
“…Are you not mad anymore?”
Yoon Chae-ha, who had been standing beside me, sidled up and asked.
“…Mad about what?”
It was just a little funny, that’s all.
“I’m sorry. I thought we could win.”
It seemed she thought that with the two of them together, it would have been more than possible.
To be honest, I had thought it was worth a shot, too.
But I swallowed those words.
“Student Jung Hae-in~”
Just then, the instructor’s voice echoed across the hall from a distance.
He seemed to be looking for me.
“Yes?”
“The awards ceremony is starting! Just hold the trophy!”
It looked like I was the one who would be holding the trophy.
[MVP Jung Hae-in]
My name was emblazoned across the scoreboard.
It was a little embarrassing.
You really didn’t have to…
The three of us walked over together.
We all gathered for the White Team’s victory ceremony.
“Jung Hae-in! Jung Hae-in!”
The students chanted my name.
Now, it was time to be congratulated.
*
After the exam, the atmosphere at Gaon was peaceful.
A sense of leisure and liberation filled the entire campus.
It was always the case at any school—the few days right after exams and the gap before vacation were always so peaceful.
It was the period when final grades were calculated by combining midterm and final scores.
The instructors and professors were busy calculating points and adjusting rankings, but they left the students completely alone.
“It’s self-study today~”
The instructor left with that one remark and quickly exited the room.
Is this really okay?
I wondered, but it was.
After all, the curriculum had already been covered.
Thanks to this, students flocked all over Gaon in search of pleasure.
Some went swimming in the campus lake, while others spread out mats by the shore and took naps.
But these days, there was one place where students gathered most.
“You going to do that again?”
“No, I’m telling you, it’s fun. We have to go now, or there won’t be any spots.”
Groups of students, in twos and threes, headed somewhere with excited faces.
The center of all this buzz was none other than my club room.
The Board Game Club.
As if to prove Glory’s support was no lie, the Board Game Club had been completely transformed from how it was before the final exams.
And the hottest topic of all was the new board game.
[THE ROUTE]
The name was grand, but to put it simply, it was a virtual reality fantasy life game.
The rules were simple.
You roll the dice to move your piece.
However, what came next was different.
Each player would live out their life according to their own route.
Whether they walked the path of a Hero, became a mage, or… lost their way as a mercenary and became a wanderer.
Everything depended on the player’s choices and luck.
A fully immersive, simulation-based board game.
All the player had to do was enjoy it.
I wanted to try it too… but the problem was its popularity.
It was hard to get an empty room. It was just that popular.
But then.
[RIN]: Board Game Club member Jung Hae-in?
[belief_]: Yeah? What's up?
[RIN]: Let's test out the new game Glory sponsored. You're a club member, so you have to come, right? Come to the club room after lunch~
Kang A-rin had summoned me.
“Oh.”
This was a good opportunity.
Playing with just the two of us would be pretty fun…
No, wait. Maybe I should use this chance to get everyone together for a game.
The exams were over, and these were the comrades I’d be struggling alongside in the future.
I had actually already called Yu Hana and Ha Sion over for today.
The elixirs I’d gotten from the Hidden Shop.
It was a pain to deliver them one by one, so I’d told them to gather.
"I'll just have to change the location."
I sent the new location to Yu Hana and Ha Sion.
“Yeo-wool, Chae-ha. Let’s go.”
And so, we headed to the club room.
Now, it was time to play.
Along with some surprise members for Kang A-rin.
*
The Board Game Club room.
Much like a board game cafe, the space was divided into separate, independent rooms.
The room we entered was for six people.
It was a huge room with a circular board table in the center, and a projector fixed to the ceiling was on standby.
“Here, take these.”
As soon as I arrived, I took out the elixirs and handed one to each of them.
“What’s this?”
While everyone wore curious expressions, Sion was the first to ask.
“It’s good for you. Don’t just drink it; hold onto it. Take it out when I tell you to.”
Perhaps because everyone here had received my help before, they all nodded in agreement.
All except for one person, Kang A-rin.
"Elixirs are nice… really nice… but why exactly did two people turn into six?”
Kang A-rin asked, frowning.
“The more the merrier, right?”
“……Hmph.”
Though she grumbled, Kang A-rin pulled something out from under the table.
A six-sided metal cube.
The title was clearly written on its surface.
[THE ROUTE]
Once activated, this entire large room would become a simulation space.
“Does everyone know what this is?”
Kang A-rin asked the other five.
Some nodded, and some shook their heads.
“Honestly, it’s not that hard… You’ll figure it out once we start.”
Kang A-rin said bluntly, then added one more thing.
“…But, I’ll give you one warning.”
She tapped the side of the cube with her finger.
There, a small, faint mark was engraved: [Prototype].
“The version released to the public has an immersion cap. It’s dangerous, so they intentionally reduced the sensory synchronization.”
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the cube.
“But this is different. It’s a prototype that hasn’t been released yet, and it has no sensory synchronization limit. It’ll make you feel like you’ve really become that person.”
“Is that even possible?”
Cheon Yeo-wool, beside her, asked with a half-smile.
Kang A-rin smirked.
“You’ll see when you try it for yourself. Why they put a limit on the commercial version.”
And she added one last thing.
“And for your information… you should know this is an adult game.”
With a meaningful smile, Kang A-rin pressed a button on top of the cube.
“Let’s begin.”
Since none of the six people here had anything better to do, no one seemed to have any intention of leaving.
Vwoooom.
With a low mechanical hum, a blue light spread throughout the room.
A transparent hologram board unfolded above the central table, and from the center of the cube, the elegant figure of a woman rose up.
Judging by her appearance, it was clear she was meant to be some kind of divine being.
Like the system goddess of this game.
[You have been chosen. Forge your own path with your own hands.]
“Oh…”
“Whoa…”
Everyone marveled at the unexpectedly high-quality technology.
This was more serious than they’d thought.
They were already feeling immersed.
[Your destiny shall be told. Please place your hand on the crystal ball.]
With that voice, a crystal ball materialized in the air before us.
“Who wants to go first?”
When Kang A-rin asked, Sion shot her hand up.
“Me!”
She placed her hand on the crystal ball in the center.
The crystal ball glowed and hummed.
The light spread, and the crystal ball was dyed a warm orange.
[You are the youngest daughter of a ducal family.]
“Huh? A duke’s family is pretty good, right?”
Sion clapped her hands in delight.
Being a noble certainly seemed like it would open up a lot of different routes.
“I’m jealous…”
Someone muttered, and the atmosphere quickly heated up.
A few had been wearing sullen expressions, but now everyone was getting into it.
Next was Yoon Chae-ha.
As she cautiously placed her hand on it, the crystal ball immediately turned black.
[You are a Dark Mage.]
“What?”
Yoon Chae-ha stared down at the crystal ball with a hardened expression.
“…I’m a Dark Mage?”
She looked utterly devastated.
Looks like the game knew what it was doing.
It picked the right person.
And so it continued, one by one.
Kang A-rin.
The crystal ball took on a silver-gray hue, and the guide’s voice followed.
[You are a knight of the kingdom.]
Then Cheon Yeo-wool.
When she placed her hand on it, the crystal ball blinked with a clear, sky-blue light.
[You are a low-ranking priest.]
Last was Yu Hana.
The moment she placed her hand on the crystal ball, it began to glow with an insane brightness.
Whir, whir, whir.
The light was so intense that everyone had to squint.
And then the message followed.
[Congratulations! You are the Hero!]
Everyone simultaneously looked at Yu Hana.
“…Is this a good thing?”
Yu Hana smiled, flustered, as she removed her hand.
She was the Hero.
Since it was obviously the best-looking class, everyone gave her envious glances.
“That’s cool.”
I said, walking toward the crystal ball.
Finally, it was my turn.
I was starting to get excited about what class I would be.
Without a word, I placed my hand on the crystal ball.
Vwoooom….
The crystal ball turned green.
Green?
A druid?
Or an alchemist?
With a swelling heart, I waited for the announcement.
[You are a farmer.]
“?”
I became a farmer who grows blueberries.